Current Educational Context Research Articles

Pracademics in the pandemic: pedagogies and professionalism

PurposeThis thinking piece examines, from the viewpoint of two Canadian pracademics in the pandemic, the role of pedagogy and professionalism in crisis teaching and learning. The purpose of the paper is to highlight some of the tensions that have emerged and offer possible considerations to disrupt the status quo and catalyze transformation in public education during the pandemic and beyond.Design/methodology/approachThis paper considers the current context of COVID-19 and education and uses the professional capital framework (Hargreaves and Fullan, 2012) to examine pandemic pedagogies and professionalism.FindingsThe COVID-19 pandemic has catapulted educational systems into emergency remote teaching and learning. This rapid shift to crisis schooling has massive implications for pedagogy and professionalism during the pandemic and beyond. Despite the significant challenges for educators, policymakers, school leaders, students and families, the pandemic is a critical opportunity to rethink the future of schooling. A key to transformational change will be for schools and school systems to focus on their professional capital and find ways to develop teachers' individual knowledge and skills, support effective collaborative networks that include parents and the larger school community and, ultimately, trust and include educators in the decision-making and communication process.Originality/valueThis thinking piece offers the perspective of two Canadian pracademics who do not wish for a return to “normal” public education, which has never serve all children well or equitably. Instead, they believe the pandemic is an opportunity to disrupt the status quo and build the education system back better. Using the professional capital framework, they argue that it will be educators' professionalism and pandemic pedagogies that will be required to catalyze meaningful transformational change.

21st Century Competencies in Light of the History of Integrated Curriculum

Integrated or interdisciplinary curriculum is increasingly being recognized as a way to teach the 21st century competencies. Periods of implementation of integrated curriculum are reviewed to consider their relevance to the 21st century. To understand the history, the underpinnings of both traditional and progressive education are reviewed. As well, multiple definitions currently in use to describe integrated curriculum are identified on a continuum. Reasons to dismiss the continuum are also offered. Two periods when IC was implemented in a consistent way in United States are explored: the progressive era from 1919 to 1955, and the late 1980s and early 1990s. Similarities in each era are identified such as progressive principles about teaching and learning. Differences are also considered in basic assumptions held by curriculum developers of the day with the 1980s and 1990s lacking the 1930s deep social purpose of teaching for a democratic society. The socio-political context is visited to understand the beginnings and endings of these eras. The current educational context is then viewed from a global context. We see a landscape where, although there is deep concern for accountability and disciplines, there is also a global shift in what’s worth knowing to interdisciplinary competencies/skills/capabilities, well-being and teaching the whole child. Indeed, this happening in places across the planet such as Finland and New Zealand. The ideas are reminiscent of the 1930s progressive movement - a time of experimentation when integrated curriculum in a student-centered setting explored student interests instead of disciplinary knowledge. It is suggested that the unifying frameworks offered by different jurisdictions/nations in their curriculum documents and the ones developed by global education networks can act as a proxy for the Progressive Education Association that guided practitioners from 1919 to 1955.

Currículo escolar: uma construção histórica, teórica e ideológica

O presente estudo tem como objetivo compreender o conceito de currículo escolar tendo como parâmetro abordagens teóricas e metodológicas, tais como: acadêmica, humanista, tecnológica e reconstrucionista, a fim de identificar as influências culturais, ideológicas, políticas, econômicas e as relações de poder que permeiam a sua constituição e o quanto poderão refletir no âmbito educacional. Para o desenvolvimento desse estudo, fez-se o uso da pesquisa bibliográfica para o seguinte questionamento: Qual o conceito de currículo escolar e a abordagem teórica que permeiam o currículo escolar da sociedade brasileira do século XXI. A partir do estudo bibliográfico, compreende-se que o professor diante do atual contexto educativo e social do século XXI deve conhecer o processo de construção do currículo escolar e suas diferentes abordagens teóricas, pois estes nortearão os encaminhamentos pedagógicos no que se refere ao processo de ensino e aprendizagem e consequentemente na formação de mundo, de sociedade e de sujeitos que a escola almeja formar.

Reconfiguração da formação de professores em tempos excecionais - COVID19

Em tempos extraordinários e excecionais – COVID19 – os professores são convidados a lecionar em ambientes de aprendizagem e ensino totalmente novos e com contornos totalmente digitais, a partir de meios, que desafiam o seu exer-cício profissional docente em todas as etapas da intervenção educativa. Emerge um novo desafio - concretizar uma ação educativa estruturada a partir de algo completamente novo – resultante da impossibilidade de mobilização dos meios edas estruturas mentais do ensino presencial. A partir de 16 de março de 2020, as instituições de ensino portuguesas foram obrigadas a substituir todas as atividades presenciais por atividades àdistância, interrompendo-se as aulas presenciais regulares e os estágios em contexto de trabalho.
 Neste texto, apresentaremos a forma como, neste atual e ímpar contexto educativo internacional, uma instituição de ensino superior portuguesa procedeu à reconfiguração das atividades de Iniciação à Prática Profissional num curso de formação de professores.

Inteligência emocional de professores universitários

O contexto atual da educação superior brasileira favorece sobrecarga de trabalho aos docentes, devido, entre outros fatores, ao aumento na proporção do número de alunos por professor. Além disso, a atual instabilidade nas políticas públicas na educação tende a adicionar outros fatores que podem impactar tanto o desempenho em sala de aula como a qualidade de vida dos docentes de forma diferenciada no ensino público e privado. A inteligência emocional tem atraído crescente interesse da academia e já é sabido que pode possibilitar melhor desempenho no trabalho, maior blindagem a possíveis efeitos nocivos do ambiente profissional e melhor qualidade de vida Dada sua importância, este estudo teve por objetivo verificar se há diferenças significativas nos níveis de inteligência emocional entre professores de ensino superior público e privado no Brasil. Para isso utilizou-se a escala de Wong e Law (2002) para medir o nível de inteligência emocional em quatro dimensões distintas com uma amostra de 415 indivíduos. A pesquisa identificou que professores atuantes nas universidades privadas possuem maior nível de inteligência emocional e sugere a capacitação profissional em inteligência emocional para mitigar alguns efeitos danosos do meio sobre o seu bem-estar e processo didático.

The Interactive Lecture: Nature or Nurture?

Abstract Lecturing is a wide spread teaching approach used in many university settings. As a didactic technique aimed at transmitting information, lecturing is, by definition, a receptive-oriented method of presenting content and offering explanations. The effectiveness of lectures has often been subject to debate; however, when delivered properly, lectures can be effective. The issue discussed in the present paper is aligned with earlier concerns regarding ways of transforming lectures into more engaging and creative classes. In the current educational context, typified by a high degree of complexity, participative communication, and great dynamism, making lectures interactive and more energetic does, indeed, become a practical and a timely endeavour. The paper looks at ways of implementing effective interactive lecturing strategies, analyses the advantages of this approach and proposes practical activities to improve lectures in order to transform a traditionally passive learning experience in an enriching and stimulating educational environment for educators and students alike.

TO THE ISSUE OF THE HE STUDENTS’ POSITIVE EXPERIENCE FORMATION: THE UK APPROACH

The summary of exploring "student experience" as a pedagogical phenomenon and an innovative component of the UK higher school based on the author’s monographic studies have been presented in the report. The current context of the UK higher education addressing the mentioned above problem has been characterized. It has been found its complex and debatable nature. Particularly, an academic discussion is going around priority of providing academic quality before meeting students’ needs as customers. The approaches to understanding the problem of the student experience at higher school view by British experts have been identified. It has been found that a holistic approach to the student experience term consideration conditions relevance of its studying as a student journey, starting from applying procedures up to the post graduating stage at higher education establishment. The following groups of factors which have high capability to influence on unique student experience have been considered: students’ expectations about university and student life, period of transition, peers and personal networks, the degree programme, extra-curricular activities, employability and other factors. The appropriate tools for representing and recording the UK university graduates’ achievements shaped by their experience have been explored. Particularly, Higher Education Achievements Record (HEAR) has been studied in its essence.

Aristotelian Character Friendship as a \u2018Method\u2019 of Moral Education

The aim of this article is to make a case for Aristotelian friendship as a ‘method’ of moral education qua mutual character development. After setting out some Aristotelian assumptions about friendship and education (and revising some of those) in the “Aristotle and Beyond: Some Basics about Character Friendship and Education”section , I devote the “Role-Model Moral Education Contrasted with Learning from Character Friends” section to role modelling and how it differs from the idea of cultivating character through friendships. “The Mechanisms of Learning from Character Friends” section then explores the mechanisms of Aristotelian friendship education directly: those identified by him and those which can be elicited more obliquely from his texts. I end in the “Concluding Remarks and Classroom Applications” section with some reflections on how this model of friendship as a moral method could be applied in current educational contexts. While the idea of character friendship as an educational method comes with many assets, it also imports various liabilities that may lead to painful friendship terminations. I have put the spotlight on those liabilities in two previous articles. In contrast, the goal here is to impart a new edge and added force to the idea that a certain Aristotle-defined type of deep friendships may have a unique role to play in facilitating moral growth, above and beyond other developmental learning mechanisms.

Using failure cases to promote veterinary students’ problem-solving abilities: a qualitative study

Failure is an inevitable human experience, which can offer great learning opportunities. Yet, in current educational contexts, failure has largely been eschewed to minimize students’ frustration and confusion. Such a failure-avoidance approach is also reflected in the cases used for instruction. To maximize learning, more studies are needed to explore effective ways to better utilize failure cases for educational purposes. This qualitative study aimed to explore how students perceived their experience of learning a case-based online module that uses failure cases and discover in what ways using failure cases in the module impacted students' perceived learning experience. To answer the research questions, 16 3rd-year veterinary students were recruited for individual interviews. Learning experience survey data and students' written responses to reflection and review questions embedded in the module were collected from 38 students. Through thematic analysis of the interview data and students' written responses, three themes regarding students' learning experience were identified, including engaged in the module both cognitively and emotionally, enjoyed listening to experts' feedback, and eye-opening and reassuring experience of hearing experts' failure stories, which were supported by survey results. Regarding the impact of using failure cases on students' perceived learning experience, four major themes are identified including enhancing engagement, emotional reassurance and confidence builder, creating bigger impact, and encouraging improvement. Based on the discussions of the findings of the study, implications for instructional design regarding the use of failure cases are provided to help educators create more effective case-based learning environments.

PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ APPROACHES TO CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT

Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study is to investigate the pre-service teachers’ understanding of assessment concepts and their approaches to classroom assessment. The relationship between their approaches and confidence in classroom assessment was also established. Methodology: A survey method was used to study the pre-service teachers’ approaches to classroom assessment. One thirty-one second-year pre-service teachers from the University of Delhi, India participated in this study. A modified instrument namely ‘Approaches to Classroom Assessment Inventory (ACAI)’ which consists of two parts was employed Simple t-test, correlation and factor analysis methods were used to analyze the data. Main Findings: Results showed that the pre-service teachers had a better understanding of three out of five issues which include assessment purpose, measurement theory, and confidence in monitoring the assessment. However, the study found that they have an inadequate understanding of assessment design and assessment practices. Furthermore, the correlation between their approach and their confidence was very low and non-significant. The results are discussed in the context of the assessment curriculum and its transaction at the secondary teacher education program. Implication /Applications of this study: Understanding of what pre-service teachers think about assessment issues within the current educational context helps in preparing them as better teachers. The study may provide some evidence for policymakers and curriculum framers [developers] that the importance of practical aspects of assessment in the secondary teacher education curriculum. Novelty/Originality of this study: No study has been done so far on the different aspects of assessment approaches and its issues at pre-service teacher’s level in India.

Paulo Freire’s critical and dialogic pedagogy and its implications for the Bahraini educational context

This paper is a conceptual analysis in methodology. The purpose it fulfils is that of analysing the critical and dialogic pedagogy of Paulo Freire, to arrive at implications of Freire’s philosophy and approach for the current educational context of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Bahraini context is currently one of major economic, social, and educational reforms. Despite several reform initiatives, however, schools in Bahrain are still not advancing as they should be and deficiencies continue to exist in students’ development of higher-order thinking skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and analysis. Among the implications made by this study are ones related to: teaching and learning practices within a classroom, cultivation of 21st Century skills, curriculum development and planning, and the role played by the teacher. The paper ends with a number of significant recommendations for teachers and policy-makers, which can enhance education in Bahrain and help it progress faster. These recommendations can also prove to be useful to other parallel contexts regionally and internationally.

The Role of the Academy and HRD in the Changing of the Guard

The Problem Life for faculty members is becoming more complex and stressful due to the rate of change and the ever-increasing demands being placed on them: publish in top journals, apply for funding, teach and support more students, integrate new technology into classes, serve on committees, and contribute to your discipline and professional association. Current systems, policies, and practices within higher education often fail to recognize the unique contributions of faculty members, especially those who might not reflect the traditional perspectives that have been put in place for decades. Rather, there remains a strongly guarded tradition of what is valued and rewarded within higher education. Hence, higher education needs to transform its organizational culture, valuing individual contributions, meeting workforce demands, and ensuring the health of the education system and society. The Solution The field of human resource development (HRD) with its interdisciplinary roots and expertise in learning, leadership, organizational change, and culture is uniquely poised to not only inform this conversation, but also to critique and contribute to the transformation of faculty work and associated expectations. This Issue addresses and identifies where changes are needed at the individual, organizational, and societal levels to transform the role of faculty members so that it is better aligned with the current environment and context of higher education. The Stakeholders Scholars, practitioners, administrators, and community who recognize that the health of the broader community is affected by the quality of higher education and, in particular, faculty and the way that they teach and prepare students to be scholar-practitioners.

The Moroccan education system, dilemma of language and think-tanks: the challenges of social development for the North African country

ABSTRACT This article looks at three fundamental issues pertaining to Morocco. Firstly, it discusses the current context of Moroccan education and its challenges. Secondly, as the language of instruction has today become a controversial subject in Morocco, this article aims to provide a critical review of the issue of language of instruction in Moroccan education. Finally, think-tanks and their contribution to shaping national development policies are critically discussed. The writing of this article was based mainly on up-to-date annual and regular reports, especially those published by the World Bank, United Nations, etc. Despite the fact that such efforts are being made to improve the Moroccan educational system, indicators show that Moroccan education is structurally weak, whether at the primary, secondary, or tertiary level. While the state has recently showed its strong support towards bolstering the status of the French language, it was argued that adopting the English language in Moroccan education is urgently needed. The article concludes with discussing that think-tanks and their contribution to shaping the national development policies remain poor in Morocco – this is due to the reluctance of the state to support scientific research, as well as lack of academic environment in Moroccan universities. The significance of this article boils down to the providing a critical review on issues still holding back the pace of development in Morocco, through up-to-date data and certain recommendations, most notably to the improving of such policies regarding the education system, the language of instruction, and the contribution of think-tanks towards national development.

Mediul de învățare în aer liber

The outdoor learning environment is not an alternative to learning in kindergarten, but a deepening, a personalization of the instructive-educational process; this environment, properly organized, becomes a source of knowledge, a stimulating, comfortable, creative, original space, conducive to the cognitive and socio-emotional development of the child. In the current educational context, dominated by frequent challenges and changes, we need to return to nature and connect children with it through various activities. We will ensure the children a better health, the correct management of emotions, autonomy, self-esteem, the formation of life skills that will help them to adapt to society.

Factors that describe the use of digital devices in Latin American universities

Abstract Mobile digital devices are at the same time a tool for social interaction, an individual learning resource and can be a valuable contribution in the context of higher education to develop and promote new teaching and learning models. Recent studies show that both the more traditional pedagogical models of face-to-face teaching and distance teaching mediated by Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) can be enhanced by the use of these devices on and off campus. Likewise, the current context of Higher Education urges university institutions to promote a series of generic and specific competencies, where the use of these devices in a personal, academic and professional way acquires an outstanding value in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), and represents an enrichment of university educational practice. This paper presents a study of the didactic and social use made by Hispanic American university students in 10 universities in several areas in order to establish common and divergent patterns of use so that useful conclusions can be extrapolated to improve the educational context of Higher Education in the Hispanic world.

PERSPECTIVA DO BRASIL EM ATINGIR AS METAS DA AGENDA 2030 – EDUCAÇÃO PROFISSIONAL PARA PESSOAS COM DEFICIÊNCIA

Este artigo discute a perspectiva do Brasil de atingir a meta 10 dos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável com foco em erradicação da pobreza, redução da desigualdade e emprego digno, através do preparo profissional das Pessoas com Deficiências para entrada no mercado de trabalho. Em 2015, a Organização das Nações Unidas propôs que os países-membros assinassem a Agenda 2030, um plano global, com 17 objetivos e 169 metas, visando o desenvolvimento desses países em todas as áreas até 2030. Foram abordados aspectos convergentes, embora diversos, devendo os países assumir o compromisso de alcançar as metas desses objetivos. O principal objetivo deste estudo foi mostrar o contexto atual da educação profissional para as pessoas com deficiência, as oportunidades no mercado de trabalho, bem como as perspectivas e os planejamentos para atingir os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável no Brasil até 2030. O presente estudo é resultado de levantamento bibliográfico nas plataformas Google scholar e Scielo e nas principais fontes do governo do Brasil e da Organização das Nações Unidas, que buscou o histórico dos registros das leis, experiências de boas práticas e perspectivas para a formação técnica profissional e a inserção deste público no mercado de trabalho. Os resultados sugerem que historicamente o Estado tem negligenciado a educação profissional, e que para atingir igualitariamente a todos e a todo o território brasileiro até 2030, tendo como foco o Desenvolvimento Sustentável, são necessárias grandes ações de impacto: social, ambiental e político.

A systematic review of educational leadership and management research in Turkey

Purpose While the current knowledge in the field of educational leadership and management (EDLM) has been primarily based on research produced in English-speaking Western societies, there have been significant efforts by other societies to contribute to the knowledge production, especially during the past decade. The purpose of this paper is to identify the contribution of Turkey to the international EDLM literature by investigating the topical focus, conceptual frameworks and research designs of papers published by EDLM scholars from Turkey. Design/methodology/approach Descriptive content analysis method was employed to examine 315 empirical, review, conceptual and commentary papers published by Turkish scholars in core educational administration and Web of Science journals. The time period of the review left open-ended. However, in practical terms, it begins in the year 1994 when the first article from Turkey was published in any of the selected sources and ends at the end of 2018. Information relevant to the research was extracted from each article and was coded to facilitate quantitative analysis. Using Excel software, descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages were provided for each research question. Findings Results show that Turkish EDLM scholars mostly rely on survey based quantitative research approach, employing advanced statistical techniques in the analysis of the data. However, mixed method and qualitative studies are relatively less common. Organizational behavior, school leadership and emotions stand out as most frequently used topics, while Turkish scholars are not interested in analyzing the educational outcomes such as student achievement and school improvement. Consistent with the findings related to topical foci, a large number of those who were interested in correlational studies examined the relationship between leadership roles and organizational behaviors. Research limitations/implications The data set only included journal articles and excluded conference proceedings, books and theses/dissertations. Nevertheless, the authors believe this review adds significantly to previous reviews of local EDLM journals conducted by Turkish scholars. The authors concluded that the Turkish scholars should direct their future research to exploring and better understanding the practices of Turkish principals in schools by: diversifying their research topics; incorporating more qualitative and mixed-method designs; and taking into account specific features of the culture and educational system in Turkey. Practical implications Based on the current higher education context, reducing scholars’ teaching load, diversifying research funding opportunities, and modifying access to tenure tracks seem necessary interventions to support EDLM research with strong ties to practice and to the sociocultural context. In addition, policy changes aiming professionalization of administrative positions and establishing some forms of formal training for school principalship are needed. Such changes can help transfer the knowledge produced by the Turkish EDLM researchers to the practice and provide solutions to problems related to school administration. Originality/value This paper will add to recent effort to identify how a developing nation outside Western perspective approaches the field, and contributes to the global knowledge base.

Teaching Australian foreign policy: vocational training or critical thinking?

ABSTRACTIn the current higher education context there are strong incentives for the development of work-ready skills for graduates. In this article, I reflect on the challenges of mediating between developing vocational skills and emphasising the immediate practical and policy relevance of coursework on one hand, and the development of critical thinking and research skills on the other, in the context of teaching Australian Foreign Policy.

Onderwijs in het post-truth tijdperk

Abstract Education in the post-truth era: Reflections on the role of learning in sustainability and democracy This paper revisits the field of (Higher) Education for Sustainable Development in a post-truth era. It reflects on the current debate regarding the role of education in sustainability from a Deweyan perspective. This approach leads towards a renewed interpretation of individual sustainability competences in societal context influenced by post-truth characteristics and super wicked problems. The Deweyan perspective with focus on personal flourishing and the role of education in democracy, provides guiding principles to frame individual sustainability competences in the current post-truth context, thereby highlighting the importance of critical inquiry. The paper recommends to revisit the connection between education and sustainability from a personal and societal perspective, thereby taking into account the current context of higher education, influenced by neoliberalism, economic efficiency and managerialism.

Indústria cultural e formação docente: análise de teses e dissertações presentes na CAPES (2014-2018)

This study is part of the discussion about the current context of teacher education influenced by the dictates of the cultural industry. The approach proposed for this work seeks to problematize the aforementioned theme supported by the theoretical references of the Frankfurt School represented by Theodor W. Adorno, among other thinkers. Thus, we aim to analyze the use of the Critical Theory of Society used in the foundation of stricto sensu research on teacher education in Brazil, from 2014 to 2018. The results point to the importance of the Adornian theory in the critical foundation of studies on the formation of teachers in our country, understood in the process of capitalist production and consumption, that uses art as a maneuver of alienation and massification of the great mass.